ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: April 2, 1998
Author/Local: SMacrae/7270
CC File No. 1361

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	City Clerk
SUBJECT:	Graphics Technician Position in the Communications Division, Office of the City Clerk

RECOMMENDATION

THAT City Council approve the conversion of the temporary full-time Graphics Technician position in the Communications Division in the Office of the City Clerk to a permanent full-time position,subject to job evaluation by the Director of Human Resources. Funding will be provided in the 1998 Operating Budget. Temporary funding has been provided in previous years and there will be no net increase in the budget.

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

On July 26, 1990, Council approved the following communication objectives as City policy and as a guiding framework for the development of a City Communications Program:

1. Vancouverites should know about and understand pending City decisions through participation and comment.

2. Public involvement should occur in an atmosphere of openness and trust; where the purposes of consultation are clear; and where the rights and obligations of the public, of City staff, and of Council are fully understood by all participants.

3. Vancouverites should receive clear and accurate information about any City program, service or regulation which affects their lives or livelihoods.

4.City information should be delivered through media which effectively attract the attention of those who need to know in language which they can readily understand.

The City should be a helpful, accessible, consistent, unintimidating and human source of information; and those served should always feel welcome.

At its meeting of November 9, 1995, Council approved the City Communications Strategy to carry out these objectives. The strategy acknowledged the need for a full-time corporate graphic resource in the Communications Division.

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council approval to convert the existing temporary Graphics Technician position in the Communications Division of the Office of the City Clerk from temporary full-time to permanent full-time.

BACKGROUND

In 1992, Council approved establishment of a Communications Advisor position (now called Director of Communications) and a Clerk Steno II position to undertake a communications program for the City. Prior to this time, there was no corporate communications function in the City.

The Communications Advisor was hired in 1993. In 1994, he, the Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and a multi-cultural social planner drew together a team of community and staff resources to help determine the City's communications needs.

This year-long process resulted in the City Communications Strategy that was adopted by Council in November, 1995. This helped to establish a work plan for the Communications Division, and included elimination of the Clerk Steno II position and establishment of a Communications Coordinator position.

The strategy identified a number of graphic arts functions required to carry out communications work. These included advertising layout, brochure and display design and work on the city website.

Council approved funding of $42,000 per year for the graphics position in 1995. The initial intent was for funding to arise from a rationalization of graphic resources elsewhere in the organization. This, however, has not occurred. Nevertheless, the position has more than recovered costs through avoidance of outside services. Meanwhile, the graphics position has been funded from within the City Clerk's operating budget since November, 1995.

DISCUSSION

As the graphics resource person for the City's Communications Division, the Graphics Technician has a number of duties that include:

- design, lay-out and booking of ads for the City's ad agency (165 were produced for a number of community publications in 1997);
- design, conversion and maintenance of documents on the City's website;
- design and lay-out of regular publications, such as the weekly calendar of events CITYweek, the quarterly employee newsletter CityLink, and the bi-annual tax newsletter CityNews.

The Graphics Technician has also done special projects, such as:

- "meter money" - design of a smart card for parking meters to be tested in early 1998;
- City Choices public consultation documents and ads - a two-page newspaper insert;
- design for city.vancouver - the City's new TV show coming in January 1998;
- design for Wide Area Radio and EOCC information package;
- brochures;
- meeting signage;
- special ad projects (such as ads for APEC, series of Summer Roadwork ads for Engineering).

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Since November 1995, funding has been provided in the operating budget of the City Clerk's Office for the temporary full-time Graphics Technician. There are therefore sufficient funds within the existing departmental operating budget to fund creation of a regular full-time position.

CONCLUSION

The Graphics Technician position is a central component of the City's communications function, as the past two years of the incumbent's work has proved. The need for this position is ongoing, and therefore it is appropriate to convert it to a regular full-time position.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver